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October 14, 2004: Production stands idle in two Opel plants

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October 14, 2004: Production stands idle in two Opel plants

The production stands idle
in plant I and II since 3:00 pm. After long delaying tactics the Opel-Managers
let the cat out of the bag. In Germany, 10,000 jobs shall be exterminated
in the years to come: 4,000 jobs in the Bochum plant (3,000 of them
alone in 2005), likewise 4,000 jobs in Rüsselsheim. It is still left
open where the remaining 2,000 jobs shall be exterminated. Bourgeois leading politicians such as
Clement (minister for economic affairs and employment) and Steinbrück
minister-president of North Rhine-Westphalia) rushed to Bochum in the afternoon
to intervene the ”tensed situation in the Bochum plant” (ddp, Oct. 14).

The crisis management
carried out to pacify the staff has failed as well as the attempt of the
right-wing leaders of works committees failed to put off the struggle
until the corporate-wide action day on Tuesday: The Opel-workers stopped
working at 3.00 pm in the Bochum Plants I and II. The workers of plant I
marched off to the gate and protest there against the decisions of the board.
The strike continues.

The latest special edition
of the corporate-wide workers paper “Der Blitz” (”The Flash”) was handed out in
the morning putting forward the demand:
”The plans for closure and
dismissal must be brushed off the table! Whoever wants to blackmail us will
harvest strike!”

As we did yesterday, rf-news
talked to workers:

”We all have to go out on
the lawn. No car should come off the production line. We will be in the group
meeting in a moment and then everybody: out. I guess everyone agrees. We must
close down here and go out on the streets and then no car shall come off the
production line for three weeks.” ”We should go on strike. But all of us
together in Germany. All Opel plants.” ”In my opinion we should go out on the
streets. Wait and see? That’s wrong, I believe. Normally we should close down
all here. It’s not good at all to relinquish.” Five workers were also standing
in front of the gate at the Opel plant of Kaiserslautern: ”We are
standing here with a number of workers to support the workers in Bochum. I
think the workers here are great. I actually don’t understand, why they are
planning to close down such a plant.” ”I experienced such development at
Pfaff-company before. Just a small part of the large plant remained. Its even
unrecognisable. They played false with the people and relocated everything to
China and the people are sitting at home, sweeping the streets today and they
don’t know how to feed their families. And when Hartz IV is implemented, than
it’s over.”

The workers are moved by
questions like what is hidden behind the plans, how to organize the necessary
struggle and who is going to organize it. It’s as plain as a pikestaff: the
works committee will not do this for the workers. It has not the right to do so
– there is no right to strike in Germany outside the collective bargaining.
Therefore, courage and determination of the Opel workers are largely challenged
when organizing and independent a corporate-wide struggle.

It
is a sure fact that they are supported by the mass of workers and employees in
other plants and branches and by the people. With their strike the Opel workers
give a signal to all workers in the struggle against the offensive of
exploitation – mutual solidarity in struggle must be organized now. Today
the students of a large vocational school centre in Rüsselsheim where
Opel-apprentices are trained, too, already declared their solidarity with the
Opel workers. The MLPD will also stand by the Opel-workers with moral
and practical support – rf-news will stay up-to-date with the development.

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